STATE RESTORES ABORTION FUNDING

The Illinois Department of Public Aid agreed Tuesday to an injunction that permanently restores publicly funded abortions to poor women who become pregnant because of rape or incest.

The agreement effectively ends a federal lawsuit by Planned Parenthood challenging a vote by a bipartisan Illinois legislative panel last month blocking state funding.

But the Department of Public Aid agreed to the permanent injunction because a federal law passed this year requires states to fund such abortions or face losing federal Medicaid funding, some $3 billion in Illinois' case.